The Broken Girl
by JezzMine
Summary: A new case comes to Jump Street through the F.B.I. The victim catches the officers unaware and brings emotional turmoil along with her.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own. **

**(A/N:** _Just a quick warning, this is my first attempt at a 21 Jump Street fanfiction._**)**

**The Broken Girl**

**Chapter 1: Not Fair**

The music pounded angrily in Caitlin's ears. She sprawled lazily on her bed flipping the pages of a magazine furiously. The amount of pressure exerted the only evidence of fading temper. She sighed heavily closing her eyes allowing images of Scott and Nancy to bombard her.

It just wasn't fair. The words echoed in her best friend Brittany's voice. She drifted allowing the earlier phone conversation to replay.

_"What time should I pick you up?" Brittany bubbled taking the phone from her mother._

_"You're not," Caitlin replied._

_"I'm not what?"_

_"Picking me up."_

_"How else you gonna get there?" Brittany asked confusion underlying her words._

_"I'm not going," Caitlin confessed lamely._

_"What do you mean you're not going?" Brittany all but shrieked._

_"I'm not allowed," answered Caitlin placing more emphasis on the words than necessary allowing the anger to flow into them._

_"No," said Brittany at last catching on. "They told you no. Oh my gosh! Do they not realize what tonight means if you're not there?"_

_"They don't care." A careful pause as Caitlin weighed her words wondering if her mother was still listening. "They don't care if they ruin my life," Caitlin said louder._

_"But you have to go," encouraged Brittany. "I mean Scott said he was going to be there and you know Nancy will step in if you're not there. We cannot let this happen."_

_"I know."_

_"We'll have to go with plan b."_

_"Already tried. It's a no go."_

_"What?"_

_"We should have went with plan b first."_

_"Oh." Of course asking to go study at a friend's house after being turned down to go to a party was not the best tactic but neither one expected Caitlin's parents to say no to plan a. "Extremely not cool," sympathized Brittany._

_"Yeah."_

_"Don't give up. We'll think of something. Here's what we'll do. I'll drive down and park at the Harper's and then you can sneak out and meet me there. They'll never know you're gone."_

_"Won't work," admitted Caitlin at their usual routine. "Mom and dad are suspicious. I'm on lock down tonight. There is no way I can get out."_

_"So not fair," commiserated Brittany._

It wasn't fair, she thought. Her only consolation being that Brittany would either call later or stop by to give her the play by play of Scott's actions all night. Caitlin's potential boyfriend was at the party of the year while she was stuck in her room with her dull parents down the hall watching some stupid TV show sitting up later than usual to keep their daughter safe and sound from the big bad party. And she just knew that Nancy was skulking around waiting for the opportunity to snatch Scott from underneath her nose. Yeah definitely not fair. She jumped up causing the headset to pull from her ears. Wincing at the pain she stopped mid-step.

The TV was blaring. Frowning she opened her door and the noise attacked more fiercely. What in the world? Her parents never, and she meant never had the volume that loud. They were always complaining when she had it turned up just enough to hear.

Caitlin stepped gingerly into the hallway not sure why she was being so cautious. She hesitated listening more closely. The manic sounds coming from the television were all she heard. Goosebumps rose on her arms, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

Crazy this is crazy, she thought. Giving herself a mental shake she continued on down the hallway. Once she got closer to the family room the noise was almost deafening. It hurt her ears. Turning the corner she abruptly stopped. Shrinking back hurriedly she cautiously peeked around the corner again.

Her mother and father were seated on the couch staring up at the men towering over them. Caitlin bent down to make herself as small as possible as she studied the scene in front of her. Tears streaked her mother's face, and blood seeped from her father's lip. Two other men were in the room. From what she could see they were dressed in head to toe black, they stood facing the couch. Caitlin shrunk back against the wall trying to comprehend what she'd just seen. She tried to adjust her mind set to understand what was happening. Two men had broken into her home and subdued her parents without alerting her. How was that possible? Why hadn't she known what was happening? Her heart raced as she chanced another glance around the corner.

One of them waved his hand saying something that was undistinguishable over the throb of the television. Caitlin's eyes widened as she recognized a gun. The gun provoked her into action. She turned to go back to her room where she could phone the police. A small movement caught in the corner of her eye. A third man was coming from the kitchen.

"What the hell?" he shouted catching sight of her.

Cursing under her breath Caitlin stumbled into a run. She reached her room slamming and locking the door behind her. A second to catch her breath and she was at her window. No time to make the phone call she had to get out. A thud broke into her conscious thought as she saw the door shudder under the impact.

In her nervousness her fingers slipped on the window locks. Absolutely terrified Caitlin managed to get the window open. She stepped up onto the desk grabbing the ledge with shaking hands she leveraged to maneuver out of the opening.

Caitlin had made it half-way through when the door gave smashing into the wall. A hand closed around her ankle pulling her back. She kicked out, twisting fiercely. She gathered air to scream but it came out as a sob instead. The hands closed tighter around her leg. She fought harder to get out her eyes frantically scanning for any neighbors who might be able to help. No one was on the street. It was late, really late.

Caitlin surged forward with a vicious kick and almost made it.

"No you don't!" a harsh voice said.

"Let me go!" yelled Caitlin. A ferocious tug turned her body; suddenly she was forced onto her side. Disoriented by the change of position she lost her grip.

The man now had both of her legs in his grasp and a firm jerk had her shrieking as the ledge scraped her exposed skin where her T-shirt had ridden up. Twisting again to loosen the man's hold her back rested on the window sill. Caitlin put her hands against the top part of the window. It stopped the man's momentum. She pushed. Another scream when she felt the burning sensation of her back rubbing against the ledge.

A second pair of arms wrapped themselves around her legs. With both men heaving Caitlin came back in the window too fast, the window's edge once again abrading her back. She struggled as they kept pulling. Her butt hit the desk hard followed by her back and shoulders both already raw. She whimpered.

Once she was inside the men didn't stop. Clutching her legs they continued to jerk her. Her arms stretched out trying to find something to hold onto.

Caitlin felt her body sliding off the desk quickly; her continued struggles were futile as two men were proving to be impossibly stronger than one teenage girl. Tears ran down her cheeks from the stinging pain in her side and back. Her T-shirt fell onto it and she felt the warmth of what she assumed to be blood seep into it. All of this happened in such a few short seconds. Then Caitlin was wrenched further. Her head hit the desk causing darkness to enshroud her world.

* * *

_Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it. All reviews are greatly appreciated._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Handling the Situation**

Captain Adam Fuller was attempting to make a dent in the mound of paper work littering his desk when there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in," he said his head buried in a report. He didn't look up right away because whichever Jump Street officer entered would begin talking as soon as they stepped over the threshold. The drawn out pause and the casual throat clearing grabbed his attention causing him to raise his eyes.

Federal Agent Spencer Phillips stood just inside the door. Fuller was surprised to say the least. The last case he'd seen Phillips on was a kidnapping a couple of months ago.

"Captain Fuller," Phillips noted brusquely.

"Agent Phillips," returned Fuller his demeanor not exactly welcoming. "How may I help you?"

Phillips closed the door and walked over to Adam's desk. He handed over a case file and took the liberty of taking a chair. Fuller frowned briefly at the man then began reading.

Upon seeing F.B.I. Agent Phillips Fuller understood the unspoken rule of no details or talking, however the case file served only to confuse him.

"I don't understand." He allowed a pause to offer the man sitting opposite him a chance to speak. Nothing. "What does this have to do with Jump Street?" he asked bluntly placing the file on his crowded desk.

The case he'd read concerned a teenage girl named Jessica Reynolds who was at the local hospital. The file had scarce details on what had happened to the girl. Lacking real information Adam did not particularly see why Phillips was bringing him this case. If there was even a case here, and normally major crimes would investigate first.

When no further answers or explanations were forthcoming Fuller's patience began to thin. "Why would the chief send us something like this?" he waved his hand over the folder.

"He didn't," F.B.I. Agent Phillips commented. Shaking his head Adam was fast losing his tolerance for the insolent F.B.I. agent. "Have you heard of the Sullivan case?" Sighing heavily Phillips reluctantly handed over another case file. He then leaned back and settled his hands in his lap to await the other man.

"Yes, I've seen it on the news," commented Adam taking the other folder with some trepidation. He flipped through it as the Sullivan crime was laid out before him in ghastly detail including the crime scene photographs.

"Were they one of yours?" asked Adam interpreting the victims as witness protection. It would explain the brutality of the attack.

"Not that I'm aware of."

Puzzled Fuller glanced up from the initial reports. He credited himself to be a reasonably intelligent man, but this whole encounter left him bewildered. "Then why the interest?"

Phillips frowned. Under the forced bland exterior he was anxious about this meeting. He still wasn't a hundred percent certain this was the best alternative, but honestly he didn't have much of a choice. Ever since that night his usual motives for decisions had been skewed altering his normal course of action.

"The Reynolds case and the Sullivan case are related," he said.

"What does the Reynolds girl have to do with Sullivan? Was she a witness or..." his words drifted off.

"We don't know yet. We haven't been able to question her."

"Then how do you know it's related?" he snapped. He hadn't meant to, but the reins on his temper loosened. This man came into his office without first informing the chief and then presented him with a confusing mess of mumbo jumbo.

"All right. What I am about to tell you is classified and it cannot be repeated," he turned a stern look toward Adam. "It started with..."

_Federal Agent Spencer Phillips careened around the curve coming to a screeching halt in front of the modest suburban home. Red and blue lights lit the area as men in uniform loitered. _

_ The neighbors were staring curiously out of their windows surprisingly no one had braved the cold night air to watch any closer. Shaking his head he muttered under his breath as he flashed his identification to go under the police tape._

_ "Agent Williams?" he asked brusquely of the officer stationed at the front door._

_ "Right here," Williams interjected stepping outside._

_ "One of ours?" questioned Phillips._

_ "Not sure."_

_ "Then why am I here?" his impatience firming his tone._

_ "Does the name Randall Sullivan mean anything to you, sir?"_

_ "Oh shit. How bad?"_

_ "It's bad," the other agent said pointedly._

_ "What happened?" He rushed into the house to inspect the damage. A trail of bloody footprints led him into the family room, but there were no bodies. Over turned furniture, rope, and blood littered the room making his stomach churn._

_ "Where?" he demanded._

_ "Down the hall in the bedroom," Williams indicated the direction his skin paling taking on a greenish tint. Looking up he saw his superior's face harden the only show of emotion._

_ Blood smears led the way. Phillips followed them at a brisk pace forcing his mind blank to take in the scene. Bile rose in his throat upon surveying the crime scene._

_ Two bodies were on the floor in front of a closet. There was another on the bed. _

_ "What have you got?" _

_ "Three bodies, those two are the parents; the one on the bed is the daughter." The medical examiner informed him as cameras flashed._

_ At the mention of a young girl Phillips eyes examined the room noticing it belonged to a teenager. The rock posters, picture frames, and other girly items that decorated the room were now splattered with blood. It made his stomach turn to see such innocence ruined. He stood wrapping his mind around the grisly sight before him._

_ "She moved," a surprised uniform announced startling the entire room._

_ "She couldn't have moved," the medical examiner exclaimed. "She doesn't have a pulse."_

_ "She does now," confirmed the uniform after checking._

_ "Get the paramedics in here now!" bellowed Phillips. The uniform was beside the girl on the bed._

_ Paramedics rushed into the room. Phillips barked orders to the police and F.B.I. present before following the paramedics out with the girl. He needed to question her. _

_ The ambulance ride was a harrowing event the girl never regained consciousness, and the paramedics almost lost her twice. Phillips' mind whirled at the possibilities._

_ The E.R. doctor met them outside. Phillips hurried from the ambulance to catch the doctor before he disappeared into a trauma room._

_ "Federal Agent Phillips," he introduced himself forcefully. "Declare her dead."_

_ "She will be if you don't let me go," the doctor insisted trying to pull away._

_ "No matter what happens you declare her dead," instructed Phillips. "Find me after you're finished."_

_ The doctor stared wide eyed at the man in front of him. The meaning of his words slowly took shape in his mind. "I understand."_

"You declared her dead?" Fuller asked interrupting the narrative.

"Yes, and then had her transferred here."

"Jessica Reynolds is Caitlin Sullivan."

"Yes, but only you and I know this. Caitlin Sullivan is officially dead. There were no witnesses to the Sullivan crime."

"This was done to protect her?"

"It was necessary. The girl is being heavily sedated due to her injuries; we haven't been able to piece the crime together. We don't know who, or why anyone would even want to harm the Sullivan family. But from the injuries and the timeline we've established they were tortured before they were killed."

"Why didn't they kill Caitlin?"

"They thought they had, and if they knew she was alive they'd want to finish the job. We are going to stake out the funeral, we've interviewed the Sullivan's friends and family and we've got nothing. My first priority is to keep this girl safe until she can tell us what happened."

"When is she going to wake up?"

"The doctors want to keep her sedated until she's more stable. Another day or so and then they'll reduce the medicine."

Fuller mulled over everything he'd been told. Phillips had taken drastic steps in this case and he wasn't sure he understood the man's motivations for any of it.

"If they weren't one of yours then why are you going through such lengths to protect this girl?" questioned Fuller trying to make the pieces fit.

Phillips stared at Adam showing no signs of voicing an answer. Fuller considered all the reasons why the F.B.I. would take such actions. Aha, Fuller wanted to shout. The only reason Adam could fathom was that the F.B.I. might be somehow responsible for this.

"I still fail to see what Jump Street is going to be able to do."

"This girl is a teenager. Teenagers relate better to other teenagers," Phillips answered simply.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"When she wakes up she'll need protection at school, at home, you know the drill. We've been through this before. Only this time it won't be wise to have the agents sitting outside in a car."

"So she's not going to have any F.B.I. protection?"

"Not yet. Everyone thinks she's dead. That's the safest cover we can give her. When she wakes up she'll need help adjusting, need to be trained in how to maintain a cover. Your officers are effective in that regard if nothing else."

Almost a compliment, Fuller almost smiled. "But we can't do anything until she wakes up."

"That is for you to figure out."

"I didn't even say I'd take this case," argued Fuller.

"We both know you'll take it," Phillips stood as did Fuller. "I'll be in touch." The man whisked himself through the door before Fuller's objections reached his lips.

Fuller slumped into his seat. His day went from okay to difficult in less than ten minutes. Reaching for the folders he read them again taking his time, and taking his own notes trying to decipher how to handle the situation.

* * *

_Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it. All reviews are greatly appreciated. Special thanks to my beta Alicia!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3: Bruises and Bandages **_

Tom Hanson stood inside the hospital occasionally glancing at his watch. Irritated. He was extremely irritated at one Mr. Douglas Penhall. Not only was this Doug's possible case, but he'd somehow managed to drag Tom into it and Doug was now 15 minutes late. Rubbing the back of his neck Tom's eyes swept around the area once again.

They landed on a gift shop. He might as well take a gander; it wasn't as if he had something important to be doing. Sighing he walked in and began examining the various items available. Picking up a stuffed bear he frowned at its creepy eyes. Shivering slightly he put it back on the shelf. Should he even get something? What would he put on the card? His hand reached out for a stuffed elephant beside the bear. It was cute.

"Hey," Penhall announced his presence.

"You're late," Hanson admonished instead of a greeting.

"I know, I know," Penhall caved offering his arms up in surrender. "But you know how much I hate hospitals and to be visiting someone who I don't even know..." he went on to mumble something about traffic and cabs unintelligibly.

"Above and beyond the call of duty," agreed Hanson.

"Yeah man, so when you're done," he gestured to the elephant. A look of complete concentration engulfed his face, "Do you think I should get her something too?"

"What? Oh I wasn't..." the words died on his lips as he noticed he was in fact at the cash register, and the lady was ringing up his purchase. He pulled his wallet from his pocket. Just great, he thought.

Doug had disappeared from his side and then reappeared with a vase of flowers. "Is this okay?" he asked sheepishly.

"I guess." Tom said taking the elephant refusing the bag. He walked outside the shop to wait for his partner.

"If you weren't here I never would have thought of this," Penhall admitted.

"Yeah, Doug, I know," Hanson reassured him. "What room is it?"

"Um," Penhall fumbled the flowers trying to reach in his pocket. Handing his burden off to Tom he managed to retrieve a crumpled piece of paper. "Third floor, 302."

"And why are we doing this?" his real question was why did Doug have to do it and pull him into it.

"Fuller suggested it would be good for my cover."

"So why am I here?" he asked his face half hidden behind the flowers.

Doug turned shamefacedly to Tom and took the flowers uncovering the glare, "I don't like hospitals. You're here for moral support."

Frowning unconvinced he gave Doug a pointed look for him to continue.

"All right, Judy was going to come, but something came up at the last minute."

"With her case, because that's my case too, Penhall," added Tom worriedly.

"No, no, nothing like that. It wasn't about the case," Doug said swiftly.

"Let's get this over with then."

The two of them remained silent as they rode the elevator up to find room 302.

"What's her name?" inquired Tom.

"Jessica Reynolds," Doug said quietly. He hated the smell of a hospital.

"You're normally not this jumpy in a hospital," commented Tom.

"I know, but well that was different."

Tom had an urge to make some sarcastic remark but squashed it as they neared the chosen room.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" a nurse asked stepping out of the room.

"Is that Jessica Reynolds room?" Penhall gestured unnecessarily.

"May I ask who you are?" returned the nurse.

"My name is Doug Peakes and Jessica is my cousin. This is my friend Tom."

"Hello," Tom smiled cheerfully.

"Oh, I'm sorry we didn't know the poor girl had any family in the area."

"We just moved," Doug volunteered.

"Of course, go right on in. I'm happy she has somebody." The nurse stepped aside allowing them to enter.

Doug walked through confidently. Tom hung back to ensure she was still asleep.

Doug's breath caught as he got a good look at Jessica.

"Oh my," Tom stated. He hurriedly placed his gift on a side table.

"Jesus," muttered Doug, once again handing the flowers off to Tom.

"What happened?"

"Car accident," replied Doug.

"Seriously?"

"It's what Fuller said."

"I think Fuller's wrong."

"Yeah," agreed Doug taking stock of the injuries and various bandages. "Don't think a car could have caused all this."

"Must have been pretty bad."

"Killed both her parents," commented Doug staring down at his new cousin.

"Come on let's get out of here."

"Ok," Doug consented reluctantly. "I don't want to talk to the doctors."

**()()()()()()()  
**

The mustang purred beautifully as Tom guided it through afternoon traffic back to the chapel. "Care to tell me what really happened to that girl?"

Doug turned to Tom wondering how much he should or rather could tell him. "The cover is a car accident."

"You and I both know those injuries didn't come from a car accident. Somebody beat the crap out of that kid," surmised Tom.

"Yeah maybe."

"Oh come on, Doug."

Once again Doug faced the window. "Somebody attacked her and now she's in a coma. You now know as much as I do."

"That's it?" Tom asked taken aback.

"Yeah, we don't have further details because there were no witnesses and she's hasn't been able to tell us what happened."

"So what are you supposed to be doing?"

"Visiting and establishing myself as her cousin. Then when she wakes up we'll question her and go from there."

Tom parked carefully beside Ioki's car. There wasn't much to Doug's case yet. "When is she supposed to wake up?"

"What am I a doctor?" a huge grin spread across his face to take the sting out of his words. "We're just playing a waiting game. Come on I want to talk to Fuller."

"I'm coming."

"Penhall!" Fuller yelled as soon as he saw the officer enter the Chapel. "Hanson, why aren't you at school?"

"Half-day, teacher in-service or something."

Fuller nodded. "Penhall, my office."

"Sheesh," Judy said joining Tom at his desk. She sat on the corner handing him a report.

"Seems to be in a worse mood than he was this morning," commented Tom grimacing.

"You should read this before we debrief."

"What is it?"

"I found something..." Judy went on to share her information about the case they were on.

**()()()()()()()  
**

"Did you go see her?"

"Yes, Captain, she's in pretty rough shape. I didn't talk to the doctors or nothing. She just looks real bad."

"I called and got an update there's no change."

"Um, Captain, I don't think people are going to buy the car accident."

"What makes you say that?" Fuller said as he sat behind his desk motioning for Doug to take a seat.

"Hanson didn't."

"You took Hanson with you?"

"Well yeah, she's asleep she didn't see him."

"Did anybody see him?"

"A nurse."

"Penhall," Fuller said sharply rubbing the bridge of his nose trying to prevent the headache he felt coming on. "You didn't introduce yourself as police officers did you?"

"No, I'm her cousin and he was a friend of mine. No big deal."

"Fine. Now back to the cover, she's not going to be going to school anytime soon and when she does some of her injuries will be better so we won't have to worry about it."

Doug nodded. He knew teenagers were gullible, but not all of them. "I still don't understand why I'm on this case, or if this is even a case."

"Like I said, Penhall, we'll have to wait until she wakes up."

"What if she doesn't?"

"She will. She's asleep because the doctors had to sedate her. When they pull back on the medicine she'll wake up." asserted Fuller. This conversation baring a striking resemblance to the one he'd had earlier with Phillips. "We'll get her story and we'll go from there. It's slow at the moment so I can spare you for now. But if something changes I'll let you know."

Penhall recognized the dismissal. He made it to the door before he turned, "So, I have to go visit her again?"

"Regularly."

**()()()()()()()  
**

"Fuller give you anything new on the girl?"

"Nope," he said dejected.

"Don't get all out of joint."

"I'm not, Hanson. It's just not a real case."

"If it isn't a real case then how are you assigned to it?" Hanson smiled at his own wit.

"Shut up. Wanna get a beer later?"

"Sounds good."

"Hanson! Hoffs!" Fuller's voice echoed through the chapel.

"Later man."

"Yup," Doug said. He grabbed the envelope with his case details inside. He studied it again trying to pick up what was missing. There was something else going on here. He tried really hard to concentrate, but he couldn't get the images of bruises and bandages out of his head.

* * *

_Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it. All reviews are greatly appreciated. Special thanks to my beta Alicia!_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4: Trying Not to Think**_

"Doug, you can't be serious?" Tom sputtered into his beer.

"Of course I am," the older man insisted.

"Why?" Hanson asked with a comical tragic expression.

Doug rolled his head in Tom's direction. He attempted the puppy dog eyes with accompanying pout.

Hanson swiftly shook his head. "Nope, nu-nuh. I want to know why I have to do something because Fuller told you to do it."

"Come on, Hanson, do you want me to beg?"

"I don't see the point."

"Please, please, Hanson, do this and I'll..."

"What?" an impatiently curious mask drawn over his face.

"Oh come on man, you know I'd do anything for you. Do this for me," he pouted pettily.

Tom rolled his eyes. He glanced around the bar to make sure no one was witness to this scene. The bartender smirked. "Fine, Penhall, just shut up about it."

"Thanks, Hanson, you're a real good guy."

"I happen to think so," he downed the rest of his beer and signaled for another. "This is on you."

**()()()()()()()**

"What?" Doug all but hissed at Tom as they got off the elevator. The pair was once again at the hospital after Tom checked in with Jump Street about his day at school.

"I said I'd come I didn't say I'd stay. Now I'm going to go find a cup of coffee. See you when you're done." Hanson explained walking away from room 302.

Doug stood fuming a moment uttering a few choice words under his breath at his partner. He sighed heavily knowing the risk Hanson was actually taking even coming here. He couldn't really blame the guy, this wasn't even his case.

"Ah, you would be the cousin?" questioned an authoritative voice.

Doug turned to see an older gentleman wearing a white coat and holding a chart. "Yeah," he answered lazily. Inside he was panicking. He most certainly did not want to speak with the doctor. Somehow that made this more real, made her more of a person. He shook his head at the absurdity of it; of course she was already a real person.

"Well, Mr." the doctor let the statement hang to encourage an introduction.

"Doug Peakes." He took the doctor's offered hand in a firm grip.

"Mr. Peakes," began the doctor.

"Doug," interrupted Penhall.

"Right, Doug, I'm Dr. Gage. Would you like an update on your cousin's condition or should we wait for your parents?"

"Go ahead." What, why did he say that? He should have said we'll wait but the aunt and uncle weren't going to show up because they didn't exist.

"She is being heavily sedated, but she's stable. We've reduced the amount of sedative meaning she will be waking soon. As for her injuries, I'll give a brief run-down..." he cut off his sentence upon seeing Hanson.

"This is my friend Tom," Doug interceded quickly eyeing Hanson.

Hanson paced slowly into the room trying to look casual in the doctor's presence. Doug's expression forced him to enter instead of high tailing it back out of the room.

"Carry on," smiled Doug.

"As I was saying she has a concussion, five broken ribs on the right side, three on the left, and several more that are bruised. Her wrists have deep abrasions. She has lacerations on her face as well as a black eye scratches and lacerations on her back and various bruises over the rest of her body."

Doug listened intently as the doctor listed off her injuries. Holy cow he thought it sounded unbearably painful.

Tom was listening to the doctor as well and as he described what was wrong with her Tom's eyes followed his words. He saw the bruising near her hairline and assumed this was what caused the concussion. Her torso was covered but he imagined big ugly bruises marring her flesh. The bandages on her wrists were evidence of the cuts. Her right eye was swollen edged in dark purple almost black colors. She also had a busted lip, and what appeared to be scratches on either side of her mouth. His eyes raked over her body once again surprised there were no casts. Apparently the only broken bones were the ribs.

He tried to figure out what had happened to her. Most definitely not a car accident, he concluded. Doug had already told him she was beaten up. It must have been horrible. His heart went out to the teenager lying there helpless.

The doctor exited leaving behind the somber mood.

"It makes me wonder what really happened," stated Hanson bluntly. "I mean I know you said somebody beat her up," he whispered, "but what happened?"

"I know what you mean, but there's only one person who can tell us." He gazed sadly at the broken girl.

"Right."

**()()()()()()()**

Tom Hanson paced restlessly from one wall of his apartment to the other. Something was bothering the young police officer. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen worse cases. This girl wasn't even his responsibility. It wasn't even his case for Pete's sake. He didn't understand the impact she was having on him.

Hanson raised his eyes taking in his position in the apartment. He was next to the front door, sighing he headed into the kitchen grabbing a beer from the refrigerator. He slouched onto the couch turning the television on. He flipped through the channels looking for anything to distract him. Getting all the more frustrated when nothing worked. The phone rang beside him.

"Hello," he said grumpily.

"Yo, man, I just thought you'd like to know she's waking up."

"Penhall?"

"Who else? Did you hear what I said? Jessica Reynolds is waking up."

"Why are you calling me? Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"

"Geez just thought you'd want to know. I'm going over there right now. I'm meeting Fuller at the Chapel and then we're heading over," he snapped annoyed with his partner.

The annoyance was reciprocated as Hanson slammed the phone in its cradle. Doug Penhall had to be the most infuriating person he'd ever met. Why in the world did he have to call to talk about the one person Hanson was trying not to think about? And what was even worse was the fact that Tom wanted more than anything to rush to the hospital, but he couldn't. It wasn't his case, and he had no business being there.

Just great he thought wretchedly. He'd be waiting for Penhall to call back, if he called back. Yelling in frustration Hanson had never wanted to punch Doug as much as he did now. He grabbed the beer angrily finishing it off before getting another.

**()()()()()()()**

Penhall raced up the stairs at the Chapel upset that Captain Fuller wasn't waiting outside for him.

Knocking quickly he entered the office, "Hey, shouldn't we be going?"

"Doug, there's more I have to tell you about this case. But I'll do it as you drive."

Doug's forehead wrinkled as he followed his superior out. He listened as Fuller shared the rest of the information.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I thought we had more time."

"More time for what? This is pertinent information for this case."

"I know but we can't announce who she really is to the world. People are still out to get her."

"What happens when she tells the doctors who she really is?"

"That's why we're going now."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Now let me know what you think._


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